Chevy air pump???

"Erika" writes in article dated 7 Apr 2006 06:45:03

-0700:

The purpose of an "air pump" on an engine is to add air to the exhaust before it goes through the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter needs something from the air (O2 maybe?) to work right.

Look for a fitting anywhere between the exhaust manifold and the catalytic converter.

-- spud_demon -at- thundermaker.net The above may not (yet) represent the opinions of my employer.

Well, think about what the air pump does. It takes air in from the outside (maybe from behind the air filter, maybe not) and it pumps it into the exhaust.

Then, think about what it's for. Some catalytic converter designs need considerable amounts of oxygen in the incoming exhaust in order for them to work properly.

Next, think about when it arrived. The air pump came in with early catalytic converter designs in the seventies. On some vehicles, you will see an air pump arrive one year, then disappear a few years later because the catalytic converter design changed.

SO... the question is... did your original engine have an air pump? If not, it probably wasn't required with the converter that you have used... and if you have had to change the converter to go with the larger engine, you may have to make some exhaust system modifications to connect the air pump up.

This sounds like a very fun project. I never got to do anything like this in high school. My high school, though, worked very hard to steer smart kids out of the auto shop classes and used them as a dumping ground for students on the lower track. Now, twenty years later, it's hard to hire good mechanics around here. Sheesh.

Personally, I'd try just leaving it disconnected if the exhaust system has no place for it. Get an emissions test done on it... if it passes, just remove it.

--scott